36 Middle- Class Education. 



it is far easier to shirk work there than in the schoohoom. 

 Afiecting attention so long as the master is leaning over his 

 shoulder, the minute after he will occupy himself with the 

 nearest neighbour of his own stamp, telegraphing to him all sorts 

 of mischief in a variety of ingenious ways ; rubbing up a favoui'ite 

 marble and exhibiting it to public gaze ; making crackers of his 

 indianrubber ; whittling his unhappy pencil, or bedaubing his 

 fingers and paper with a lump of homemade toffy. 



The future farmer need not begin drawing until about twelve 

 or fourteen years of age, and two years ought to be an ample 

 allowance of time for the attainment of such proficiency as he 

 requires, for although his knowledge should be thorough to be of 

 use, the extent required is small. He should be able to draw 

 straight and curved lines with facility, and so as to make a simple 

 sketch from nature. To mechanical drawing and the use of instru- 

 ments he should pay considerable attention. Light and shade 

 he should learn, and he should have some practice in isometrical 

 projection. That small but excellent volume, the ' Illustrated 

 London Drawing-Book,' includes all this. The tests should be 

 practical, such as, " Produce the working drawings of a steam- 

 engine ; " " Draw a roller or waggon, with and Avithout the help of 

 instruments, and put them into shade ; " " Draw isometrically a 

 set of farm-buildings." 



The great advantage of drawing, however, to the farmer is that 

 the eye thereby learns to take in proportions accurately, to judge 

 at a glance the distinctive features of two rival animals, or the 

 number of square yards in a given space. In this last respect of 

 course the study of geometry will be a further help ; still, to be 

 really skilful, he will require the two. 



Too much time should not be spent in dawdling over finished 

 specimens (to be taken home at the holidays), indebted too often 

 for their telling touches to the master's pencil ; for all that the 

 young farmer need be taught is to sketch roughly, but effectively 

 and quickly, say, an octagon or eg^, to throw the same into 

 shade, the light shifting as the master may direct, and further, to 

 place them in parallel or oblique perspective. No more need 

 be taught ; all else that may be required fair practice will effect, 

 due allowance being made for industry and genius. 



But for an agricultural drawing-class I would have also studies 

 of sheep, pigs, cows, and horses, in every posture — grazing, 

 standing, lying down — drawn with skill, not in the artistic, but 

 the show-yard point of view : some, too, without a feature to 

 redeem them, as the drunken Helot, for contrast sake. The farm- 

 yard animals " as they should be, and as they should not be " set 

 forth, after the manner of Lawrence in his Treatise on the Horse, 



